Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-06-11
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CHAPTER VIII.
JESS GOES TO PRETORIA.

JESS GoE TO PRETORIA.
That day, at dinner, Jess suddenly an
ounce that she was going on the morrow
to Pretoria to SEQ Jane Neville.
T see Jane Neville!' said Bessie, opening
her blue eyes wide. "Why, it was only last
month you said that you did not care about
Jane Neville now, because she had grown so
vulgar. Don't o remember when she
stopped here OH her way down to Natal last
year, and held up her fat hands, and said:
'Ah, Jess-Jess is agenius! 1t is a privilege
to know her. And then she wanted you to
quote Shakespeare to that lump of a brother
of hers, and you told her that il SEQ did not
hold her tongue she would not enjoy the
privilege much longer. And now YOU want
to go and stop with her for two months!
Well, Jess, you are odd. And, what's more.
l think it is very unkind of you to go away
for 50 long"
To all of which prattle jess said nothing.
hut merely reiterated her determination to 90.
John, too, was astonished and, to tell the
truth, not a little disguised. Since the pre-.
vious day, when he had that talk with her in
Lion Kloof, jess had assumed a clearer and
more iiin interest in his eyes. Before that
she had been an enigma: now he had guessed
enough about her to make him anxious to
know more. Indeed, he had not perhaps
realized how strong and definite his interest
was till he heard that she was going AVA
for q long period, Suddenly it struck him
that the farm would he very dull without
this Interesting woman moving about the
place in her silent, resolute kind Of way.
Bessie was, no doubt, delightful and charm
ing to look on, but she had not got her sis.
ter's brains and originality: and John Mel
was sufficiently above the ordinary run to thor
oughly appreciate intellect and originality in a
woman, instead of standing aghast at it. She
interested him intensely, to say the least of it,
and, manlike, he felt exceedingly put out,
and even sulky, at tho idea Of her departure.
He looked at her in remonstrance, and even,
In awkwardness begotten of his irritation,
knocked down the vinegar cruet and made a
mess upon Tie table; but she evaded his eyes
and took no notice Of the vinegar. Then,
feeling that he had done all that in him lay,
he went to SEQ about the ostriches: first of all,
hanging about a little to see if jess would
come out, which she did not. Indeed, he saw
nothing more Of her till supper time. Bessie
told him that she said she was busy packing;
but, as one can only take twenty pounds
weight of luggage in a post cart, this did not
quite convince him that it was so in fact.
At supper she was, if possible, even more
quiet than she had been at Inner. After it
was over he asked her to sing, but she de-
ciined, saying that she had given up singing
for the present, and persisting in her state
ment in spite of the chorus of remonstranco it
aroused. The birds only sing while they are
mating; and it is, by the way, a curious
thing, and suggestive of the theory that the
same great principles pervade all nature, that
Jess, now that her trouble had o%vertaken her,
and that she had lost her love which had sud
denly sprung from her heart-full grown and
clad in owe as Athena sprung from the
head of Jove-had no further inclination to
use her divine gift of song. 1t probably was
nothing moro than a coincidence, but it was q
curious one.
The arrangement was that OH the morrow
Jess was to be driven in the Cape cart to
Martinus- Wesselstroom, more commonly
called Wakkerstroom, and there catch the
post cart, which was timed to leave the town
at midday, though when it would leave was
quite another matter. Post carts are not par-
ticular to a day or so in tho Transvaal.
Old Silas Croft was going to drive her with
Bessie, who had some shopping to do in WAX
kerstroom, as ladies sometimes have; but at
the last moment the old man got q Fremont
tory twinge of the rheumatism, to which he
was a martyr, and could not 60, so, of course,
John volunteered, and, though Jess raised
some difficulties, Bessie furthered the idea,
and in the end his offer was accepted.
Accordingly at $50 on a beautiful morning
up came the tented cart, with its two massive
wheels, stout stinkwood d%isselboom, and four
spirited young horses; to the head of which
the Hottentot Jantje, assisted by the Zulu
Mouti, clad in the sweet simplicity of a
mocha, a few feathers in his wool, and a
horn snuff box stuck through the fleshy part
OF the ear, hung grimly on. In they got
John first, then Bessie next to him, then jess.
Next Jamie scrambled up behind; and after
some preliminary backing and plunging. and
showing a disposition to Irvine themselves
a~ffectionately round the orange trees, off
went the horses at a hand gallop, and away
swung the cart after them, in a fashion that
would have frightened anybody not accus-
TONED to that mode of progression pretty well
out OF his wits. As it was, John had as much
as he could do to keep the four horses together
and to prevent them from boiling, and this
alone, to say nothing of the rafting and
jolting of the vehicle over the uneven track
was sufficient to put a stop to any attempt at
conversation.
SS"A "oo obSuG Si6ASOSl hAAAS
from Mooifontein, a distance that they
covered we'll within the two hours. Here the
horses were outspanned at the hotel, aud John
went into the house whence the post cart was
to start and booked Jess seat, and then joined
the ladies at the "Kantoor," or store where
they were shopping. After the shopping was
done they went back to the inn together and
had some dinner; by which time the Hotten-
tot driver of the cart began to tune up Justify,
but unmelodiously, on q bugle to inform in.
tending passengers that it was time to start.
Bessie was out of the room at the moment,
and, with the exception Of q peculiarly dirty
looking coolie waiter, there was nobody
about.
How long arc you going to be away, Miss
Jess:' asked John.
Two months, more or less, Capt. Mel"
Il am very sorry that you are going" he
said, earnestly. st will be very dull at the
farm without you"
"There will be Bessie for you to talk to-
she answered, turning her face to the win.
dow aud affecting to watch the inspanning
of the post cart in the yard on which II
looked.
Capt. Mel" she said, suddenly.
sYesW
.Mind you look otter Bessie while I am
AVG Listen! am going to tell you some.
thing. You know Frank Mullerp
"Yes, l know him, and a very disagreeable
fellow he is"
"Well, he threatened Bessie the other day,
and he is a man who is quite capable of car.
rying out a threat. I can't tell you anything
more about it, but I want you to promise me
to protect Bessie il any occasion for it should
arise. l do not know that it will, but il
might. Will you promise!"
"Of course I will; I would do q great deal
more than that If you asked me to, jess he